Getting Authoring Right: How to innovate for meaningful improvement

Abstract

With so much technology-enabled innovation in assessment, one area has often had too little attention--the exam development phase, often called the "hardest job in publishing." Writing exams is so challenging and so important, not just for the validity of tests but also for the ability of exam providers to innovate their services and operate efficiently. With genuinely enterprise scale solutions finally becoming available in this area, the authors offer a checklist guide for assessment providers to review their authoring processes. They also explain why the combination of modular systems architectures and standards-based approaches to content will liberate assessment owners in tackling this key area in their businesses.